Tumbling off the Cliff Ch. 01

Some people are walking disaster areas, so what would happen if a very together and successful man falls for a ditzy but sexy woman?

Sparks fly between Mitch and Lisa in this romantic story.

It is a slow build to hot sex in later chapters, with lots of clashes of personality and misunderstanding in-between.

*

Lisa sat in front of the wide bank of dials and buttons on the transmission desk, totally unaware of what to do. There were stacks of places to put the tapes in, and they had to be in order, but she had no idea of what order or which place to put them in. Running her hand through her short spiky blond hair, her panic rising, she glanced towards the clock on the wall in front of her, it had been nearly twenty minutes since Stan had left the room, telling her he was popping down to the canteen to get a coffee, and five minutes since the voice had come over the speaker in the desk asking her, "Are you ready for your bars and tones?"

Glancing up at one of the many screens running along the top of the bank of technical buttons she noticed the presenters settling down on the couches of the early morning news programme, the make up artist putting the last of the powder on the male presenters nose to stop the shine, and the floor manager leaning over with his clipboard, explaining something or other to the beautiful, but slightly vacant faced female presenter.

"Where the fuck is he?" she muttered to herself, about to pick up the phone and dial the technical help desk.

She had only started this morning at the station, placed there by her Temping Agency as a general assistant, and had been handed to the idiot who had left her in charge of this nightmare of a live TV transmission with no training or explanation on what to do.

Her hand shaking she picked up the phone just as the door opened and Stan sauntered in, hand in his jeans pocket, his skinny frame covered by the grey tee shirt proclaiming 'If I wanted my girlfriend to have an opinion I'd take my cock out of her mouth.'

"Hey beautiful," he said as he sat down, his left hand sliding a button up at the same time as grabbing a tape and placing it in a slot, "Thanks for holding the fort,"

The voice started to count down out of the speaker, "thirty seconds to transmission, twenty nine seconds to transmission, sound men ready, camera ready, twenty six minutes to transmission, clear the floor....."

Lisa sat transfixed, her heart beating, both with relief and the excitement of watching the chaos turn into the slick programme she was so familiar with when at home. The signature music started to play along with the titles, and Stan sat back, his hands behind his head, smiling to himself, "its Showtime...." Over the next two hours she marvelled as she watched Stan's unflappable and smooth movements as he placed the correct tapes in the correct slots at the right time, as well as chat with people who wandered into the small enclosed room, carrying on conversations with him that seemed to her to make no sense at all.

The next interview was with Mitch Lawson the actor and star of the latest hit movie 'Always Read the Small Print!," a RomCom, and with which he was now reputed to be having an affair with his leading lady, the sexy and vibrant actress Alicia Turvey whom he had met on the set. The two had been snapped by the Paparazzi over the last couple of weeks partying across the world during their marketing tour for the film, falling out of clubs and sitting in the back of limo's ever so slightly drunk.

During the commercial break Stan popped the final video in the relevant place and snorted, "Lucky sod, getting to poke Alicia Turvey. What I would like to do to that woman! I would have her climbing the walls in absolute bliss." Just then they watched on a monitor as a very good looking man took his place on the couch, the sound person fussing over him, making sure he was 'miked up'.

"He probably needs a script to do it with her anyway!"

Lisa looked across at Stan, his shaggy hair topping what can only be described as a face only a mother could love, the pierced eyebrow with its small gold ring wiggling suggestively, and she burst out laughing. The man was a legend in his own mind, and had no sense of boundaries, conventions or his own limits, but in the short time she had known him he had made her laugh, and she liked his irreverent outlook as it matched her own.

The count down from the commercial break started, and Stan leant forward doing his thing as Lisa just sat watching the show, enjoying being paid for watching something she would have done had she been at home, curled up on her favourite chair and deciding whether to bother to make a start on her latest creation or just chill.

The pretty female presenter looked at the camera, smiling as she said, "Ladies we now have a real treat for you," and turning to her right, "Welcome Mitch and congratulations with being in the most popular movie playing in the cinema at present. What's it like being home here in London after being away for so long?"

Mitch sat relaxed, his arm across the back of the bright red couch, smiling at the heavily made up woman, his calm and tranquil demeanour be-lying how he actually felt. How he really felt was jet lagged, tired, pissed off and bone weary, but he knew what was expected of him, and he was a professional and therefore he mentally shook himself replying, "Hi Heather, lovely to be here, you're looking as lovely as ever. Yeah it's great to be home and also to be in such a great movie. A fun experience to film and I think that comes across on screen, the whole thing was just one big laugh."

"You play a man who falls in love with a lady Lawyer acting for a rival Businessman trying to destroy your company, and it's rumoured that sparks flew between you and your stunningly beautiful co-star Alicia Turvey on the set, and that they are still sparking!"

"Heather, it was a great script with lots of lovely scenes where I get to make love with Alicia, and she's a sweet girl with a great sense of humour, which I think comes across in the film."

"But is it real Mitch, that's what our viewers want to know? You both look good together, and the photos in the papers seem to show you're more than good friends."

Taking a deep breath to control his temper he upped his smile, and leaning forward put his hand on the slightly over the hill presenters knee and in his best flirting manner, lowering his voice to a sexy purr said, "Heather, I've been saving myself for you, what do you say we give the Paparazzi something to chase tonight."

Giggling the woman reacted, her body language flirting back, "Not sure what my husband will say, but for a night out with you Mitch I would put up with the Paparazzi. and him grumbling."

"It's a date then Heather, you and me and twenty chasing camera totting Paparazzi on the town tonight. Pick you up at eight."

"Mitch you're such a flirt, you're making my husband and all the women watching jealous, let's take a look at a clip from the film, I believe this is where you and Alicia get stuck in a Hotels revolving door, along with her yapping pet poodle that has a bad bladder control problem."

Leaning forward Stan started the video playing whilst snorting, "Stupid cow, she never even noticed that he deflected the question about him and Alicia. They're going to have to get rid of her soon, the make up isn't covering up the fact that she's over the hill anymore, and her self-worth just gets in the way of her interviews."

Lisa sat staring at the monitor that showed the actor as he sat watching himself playing out in the clip, thick brown hair stylishly cut topped a strong masculine face, nose straight and long, sensual lips framing a killer smile, stubble on lean sexy cheeks with deep grooves and dimples, he excluded charismatic sex appeal and was totally the opposite of the kind of man she was attracted to. When the clip had finished playing he leaned back on the couch, his jacket falling open, his white shirt pulling across his lean flat stomach, his long legs stretched out in front of him. Men like him were just in love with themselves thought Lisa, egos on legs. Give her a starving artist with long thick hair tied back in a ponytail, skinny body and an interest in life and not just himself every time.

The interview finished and Mitch shook hands and kissed cheeks, then got up, pulling the wire from his clothes as he walked past the camera and towards his PR person and his personal assistant Ellie, "Which way is the exit, I need to get back to my place. I'm about to drop."

"The car is held up in traffic, should be here in ten minutes, you'll have to wait in the Green Room for a while. As soon as it arrives I'll send someone to come and get you."

Following the PR man to the Green Room stepping over the wires strewn all over the floor, then down a bare corridor, he entered into the room and sat down on a sofa, a pile of croissants and pots of coffee and orange juice on the glass coffee table in front of him. Making a big yawn he lay back and almost as soon as his head hit the end of the couch he was asleep, his long body sprawled out, one leg bent, and the other stretched out, his arms resting on his belly, oblivious to his surroundings as jet lag claimed him.

That is how Lisa found him when she was sent to let him know that the car had arrived, and lead him to the back entrance of the studio where he could avoid the cluster of fans waiting for autographs at the front of the building.

Standing at the door she looked at his prone body, his eyes closed and his mouth slightly open, his chest gently moving along with his breath under the white shirt, his jacket hanging open, flapped out each side of his long torso. He was totally unaware of her standing there staring at him.

"Mr Lawson your cab has arrived." She called out across the room, but there was no sign of movement from the sleeping man. "Mr Lawson, your cab has arrived!" speaking a little louder as she moved forward, stopping at the end of the couch.

He lay there, still in a deep sleep, no sign of waking up, and Lisa stood staring at him, beautiful in his rest, unable to believe that she was this close to someone as famous as Mitch Lawson. His long eyelashes lay in a small curve against his high cheekbones, and his mouth slightly open showed a hint of the tip of his tongue and teeth as he breathed.

Reaching down she touched his shoe clad foot, wiggling it a little as she tried to wake him up, "Wake up Mr Lawson, the cab is waiting, its time to go." No response, so moving up beside him, and squatting down she reached out and shook his shoulder, her face close to his, "Damn it wake up."

Mitch started to rise up from his deep and much needed sleep, he could feel someone shaking his shoulder and muttering to him. Turning over onto his side, he snuckled down grunting a deep, "Mmm....." before going back down into the blessed slumber.

"Damn you, you big shit, wake up, or I'll get in trouble, and I'm not losing this nice little gig for a bastard like you."

Opening his eyes Mitch stared into the pair of the most attractive pair of baby blue eyes he had ever seen. Unfortunately the beautiful eyes seemed to belong to a foul mouthed but very attractive women who was shaking his shoulder and telling him he was a total fucker.

"Excuse me, have we met?" he muttered with a sleep warm voice.

"Get up, your cab has arrived." Getting up from her knees she stood and turned to go out the door.

"Hey come back here.... Who are you?" but she was gone, her slim back encased in tight jeans and an even tighter top the last thing he saw as the door closed behind her, leaving only the enticing fragrance of white musk behind to show she had ever been there.

Sitting up and running his hand over his face, he tried to wake up enough to make the walk from the Green Room to the outside of the studio and the waiting cab. Finally getting up he walked to the door and going out into the corridor stood wondering which way to go. Asking a passing studio worker he followed the directions and after a while came out into the main reception area where the receptionist sat behind a smart wooden and glass counter, and smiling at her walked out the front door to be hit by loud screams and a whole lot of hands thrusting paper and photos into his face to sign. Surrounded by the fans he stood, looking around for Ellie, security or the PR person from the Film Studio, but couldn't find them. So picking up the pen and the piece of paper that the first person in front of him offered, he asked, "What's your name? Who should I make this out to?"

"Louisa, my name is Louisa, and I just love your films, you're my favourite star, I've seen everything you've done, even the early TV stuff....."

Mitch half listened as she prattled on, signing and returning the completed autographs to fans, his mind thick with tiredness, stuck in the middle of a lot of shouting and excited people, when suddenly Ellie appeared and dragging him out of the crowd and back into the reception asked him, "How the hell did you manage to get out there, you're meant to be at the back door where the cab is, didn't the girl lead you there?"

Following her he mumbled around a big yawn "Apparently not!"

"Well she damn well should have, you could have been torn to shreds out there."

Laughing Mitch told her, "Ellie don't exaggerate, the worst that would have happened is I would have fallen asleep propped up on a couple of fans and burst their fantasies of me as a sex symbol as I started snoring."

Ellie jumped over the thick bundle of cable lying on the floor as Mitch followed, "Yeah well I'm going to make a formal complaint to the station."

"Just forget it and get me home, I need my bed and some well earned rest."

"No problem Mitch, there's the car now."

*

Lisa sat fuming in the small messy front room, her feet curled up underneath her, the glass of white wine in her hand, "The bastard, the fucking bastard, he got me fired on my first day. I'll never go and see one of his damn movies again. Mr big fucking movie star gets the poor little assistant fired, just 'cause he couldn't find his bloody way out to the back door. Well I don't give a shit. I'll get another temporary job until I've finished my collection and then we'll see. When I'm rich and famous, and people are falling over themselves to buy my work, I'll just tell him to piss off if he ever tries to buy a piece."

Shivvy sat opposite listening to her best friend and house mate rant on, the bottle of wine sitting between the two of them almost empty on the chipped and stained wooden coffee table. "That's right Lisa, you tell him. He can't buy one of your lovely pieces, even though no-one else is buying them at the moment, and you're two months behind with your end of the rent." she sarcastically crooned in her soft Irish brogue.

Laughing Lisa told her friend, "I'll get you your money, I've got a piece on E bay at the moment and the bidding is due to end tonight. It's up to two hundred pound. It's one of Elvis, in shades of blue, very dramatic, a very young hip Elvis. Very moody."

"Well that will cover part of the first months rent owed, what about the rest?"

"You'll get the rest; you know you always do my love."

"Yes, I know. But always late. When are you ever going to grow up Lisa. You're twenty nine, thirty in a couple of day's time, I love you as my best friend, but I worry about you. At the end of year Paul and I are getting married and you're going to have to find somewhere else to live, and your next landlord is not going to be quite so understanding."

Knocking back the last drop of wine in her glass, Lisa slumped down further into the chair, "If I could just get my hands on that overblown bastard I would kick him so hard he'd have to start playing the female lead in his damn movies from then on."

Shivvy laughed, knowing her friend, she would do it too. She would love to be there to see the slim feisty woman kick the good looking movie star in the bollocks and get her revenge. He sounded a real jerk getting a measly assistant fired for nothing more than a silly mistake.

*

Mitch sat bored in the Restaurant listening to his agent drone on about the great script he was handing him. Another RomCom, it was almost a copy of the last two films he had made, and he was dying for a more dramatic meaty part.

Picking up his glass of wine he sipped as he looked around the chic very fashionable Romanian restaurant at the other tables, the other diners trying not to stare back at him. He hated not being really able to relax in public, and wished for the old days when he could people watch, noticing how people moved or reacted, filing the little interesting body language tit bits in his mind to use in some role or other at a later date. But now he was the one watched, the one people stared at and it made him a little uncomfortable lately, wishing for anonymity, to be invisible for just a while.

Suddenly the door to the restaurant opened and a group of laughing people walked in, standing huddled in the entrance, waiting for a waiter to show them to their table. Turning back to his agent he listened politely as George told him he was the next Hugh Grant if he played his career cleverly. Shaking his head he told George he would rather be the next Cary Grant, and to see if he could get him a juicier role, one that would stretch him, make him have to work at it.

Lisa stood in the middle of the group, the three Tequila shots that she drank at the bar down the road starting to really relax her. Her friends were treating her to her thirtieth birthday dinner, and she was dressed up in her usual crazy style, short black tight skirt over bright lime green fishnet tights and baggy see through gauzy lime green top that you could clearly see the black sexy bra through, her battered World War Two leather bomber jacket falling off one shoulder. Her feet were encased in what could only be described as 'Fuck me' black boots, the heels high, the laces in lime green, her makeup dramatic, her jewellery dramatic and heavy.

Laughing and holding onto her friend Franco's arm, she stood surrounded as they waited for their reserved table to become free, and then suddenly they were moving forward, towards the back of the room, and giving her the place of honour she sat down, facing the rest of the diners who was watching her as if she was completely out of place in this tiny restaurant in a back street in Chelsea.

She sat, happy and content, as she looked at the menu until she glanced up and across the room spotting Mitch Lawson as he sat talking to another man, glass of wine in his hand, totally focused on whatever he was talking about. Gritting her teeth she hissed across at Shivvy, "He's here, that bastard that got me fired is here."

Shivvy looked around to where Lisa was glaring, seeing the actor and then back at her friend, "Wow, so he is." and then noticing the look in her friends eyes, "No Lisa, drop it. It's really not worth it."

"That bastard lost me my job, and I'm going to tell him what I think of him."

"Lisa, no!"

But it was too late; her feisty friend was getting up and tottering around the table, the look of determination on her face as she made her way across the restaurant to where Mitch sat deep in discussion.

Mitch's agent stopped talking and looked up at the girl standing there, thinking it was a fan going to ask for an autograph. Mitch turned his head to see what had taken George's attention.

"You fucking bastard," Lisa hissed at the startled Mitch, her voice rising with her anger "You big headed, in love with yourself, egotistical, sodding bastard. Couldn't find your way out of the fucking studio and got in a big movie star snit did you?"

Mitch sat there dumbfounded, whilst the other diners watched, enjoying the show of the big movie star being shouted at by the slim and angry woman. A couple of diners pulled out their mobiles and started taking pictures or filming the episode, and Lisa's friends started to get up to pull her away before she did something stupid, but it was too late, she was on a roll of righteous anger.